Youthful Showdown: Might Duy vs. Kushina

Minato Namikaze's pupils constricted. Suddenly abandoning his evasive maneuvers, he lunged forward half a step to meet the incoming fist, his palm condensing a swirling mass of pale blue Chakra—his only finishing move, the Rasengan!

"Youth should always charge forward like this!"

A flicker of approval flashed in Might Duy's eyes. Instead of pulling his punch, he increased his force.

The final result was brought to a close; Minato Namikaze's Rasengan did not land on Might Duy.

"Thud—!"

A dull, heavy boom erupted as Minato Namikaze's palm was ruthlessly slammed into the ground.

The Rasengan's Chakra exploded instantly, blasting a pit about half a foot deep into the earth, sending gravel and dust spraying in every direction.

"Haha! Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating!" Might Duy was the first to burst into laughter. Although his chest ached dully, the hot blood in his eyes burned even brighter. "Kid Minato, I won! If you hadn't been in such a rush to press the attack and had dragged it out until my Three Inner Gates wore off, you might have been the one to win in the end!"

As he spoke, Might Duy's frame swayed; clearly, the effects of the Three Inner Gates had faded, and a sense of exhaustion began to settle over his body.

Minato Namikaze slowly withdrew his hand from the crater, the Chakra in his palm already dissipated.

He panted heavily, his yellow hair matted to his smooth forehead by sweat, yet a look of relief appeared on his face, devoid of any disappointment. "Big Brother Duy, if I had won by stalling for time, I don't think I could forgive myself. That would be a stain on your youth and a disservice to this duel."

His words were sincere and firm, causing the crowd below the stage to nod in silent agreement.

In this contest, there were no losers, only the ultimate interpretation of youth and combat.

Bai Lin stepped onto the stage, his gaze sweeping over their exhausted yet still fervent faces, and announced loudly, "Second round, the defender Might Duy wins! The defender remains Might Duy!"

As soon as the words fell, a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.

Kushina Uzumaki stood on her tiptoes, waving her fists excitedly as she shouted, "Sissy, well done!"

She had previously complained about Minato Namikaze learning the Rasengan taught by Bai Lin, but seeing the level of skill both had displayed on the stage, she had a point of comparison and felt a bit more confident in her own strength.

As peers who graduated from the Ninja Academy at the same time, what Minato Namikaze could do, she might not be unable to achieve; both of them knew the Rasengan taught by Bai Lin.

Uchiha Mikoto stood among the crowd, nodding gently, her gentle eyes filled with clear approval. "Minato-kun's combat intelligence and perseverance are admirable. And Might Duy-kun's Taijutsu and conviction are equally worthy of respect."

Unlike Kushina Uzumaki, who only saw the surface-level victory or defeat, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Uchiha Mikoto all saw astonishing potential in Minato Namikaze.

Jiraiya crossed his arms, a hint of pride emerging. "Tsunade, did you see that? His neural reaction speed could almost keep up with Might Duy after he opened the Three Inner Gates."

"If not for his slightly inferior physical constitution and lack of combat experience, the outcome of this match would have been uncertain. Given time, he will surely become a pillar of Konoha."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but lift his chin, his tone full of smugness. "My disciple will definitely become an outstanding ninja in the future; he is the Child of Prophecy I have identified!"

Tsunade was still treating Nawaki, and seeing Minato Namikaze's defeat, she couldn't help but sigh, "My disciples aren't any worse than yours, you know."

"Not to mention Bai Lin, Mikoto has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan; at the very least, she has the strength of a Jonin. Even if Minato Namikaze's talent is strong enough, it would be very difficult for him to surpass her."

The power of the Sharingan needs no explanation. If Minato Namikaze's talent was merely in neural reaction speed, it would be nothing more than that in front of the Sharingan, let alone the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Just then, Might Duy shook his heavy arms, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below as a passionate smile returned to his face. "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me? The battle of youth never stops! Although the toll of the Three Inner Gates is a bit high, as long as there is someone willing to spar, I will accompany them to the end!"

The crowd's eyes turned in unison toward Kushina Uzumaki and Uchiha Mikoto; they were the only two who hadn't stepped onto the stage yet.

She immediately jumped out with excitement, hands on her hips, chin tilted up as she shouted, "Big Brother Duy, I challenge you!"

Then, she turned to look at Bai Lin, her eyes filled with a mix of playfulness and anticipation. "Brother Lin, I'll show you the results of my hard work these past few days!"

Bai Lin looked at the fighting spirit flickering in the young girl's eyes, nodded with a smile, and walked to the edge of the stage to announce, "Third round of the youth defense challenge: challenger Kushina Uzumaki, defender Might Duy. The rules remain the same: stop at the point of contact, and do not strike vital areas."

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Challenger Kushina Uzumaki, defender Might Duy, third round of the youth defense challenge, begin!"

Before the words had even faded, Kushina Uzumaki shot out like an arrow from a bowstring!

"Hah! Youth never retreats!" A hint of gravity flashed in Might Duy's eyes. Even with an exhausted body, his unyielding tenacity supported him as he entered the fray.

After five minutes of intense grappling, it ultimately ended with Might Duy's exhaustion.

Bai Lin stepped forward in time to hold down Might Duy, who was trying to get back up, and announced loudly, "Third round, challenger Kushina Uzumaki wins! The defender is now Kushina Uzumaki!"

Might Duy had expended too much energy during his fight with Minato; as for Kushina Uzumaki, she had not only learned the Rasengan but also the Shadow Clone.

She had perfectly replicated Naruto's combat style, utilizing the advantage of the Uzumaki Clan's massive Chakra reserves to the fullest.

With Shadow Clone to distract and Rasengan to attack, she was even more difficult to deal with than Minato Namikaze.

Might Duy panted heavily as he was helped to the side by Bai Lin to rest, yet he still smiled and gave a thumbs up. "This is what youth is all about! It seems my efforts are not enough; my future training volume must be doubled."

Kushina Uzumaki tilted her chin triumphantly and turned to look at Bai Lin, her eyes filled with a desire for praise as she called out crisply, "Brother Lin, I didn't let you down, did I?"

"Kushina, you did very well. I'm proud of you." Bai Lin ruffled Kushina Uzumaki's red hair, his tone filled with approval.

Such a combat style was indeed difficult for others to emulate; even he couldn't do it.

Bai Lin admitted that his Chakra reserves were far inferior to Kushina Uzumaki's. If he were to use Shadow Clone in conjunction with high-consumption Ninjutsu, it would only put him on the defensive. Only the massive Chakra of the Uzumaki Clan could support the simultaneous use of Shadow Clone and Rasengan.

One must know that the Chakra consumption of the Rasengan was even greater than his Lightning Style: Chidori.

Although Kushina Uzumaki's Rasengan was not yet proficient, and she couldn't match Minato Namikaze in terms of condensation time and density, she won through her deep Chakra foundation. Even releasing it several times in a row was effortless for her, which was her most unique and innate advantage.